Urban Stormwater Controls Operation and Maintenance

Stormwater control measures (SCMs) help address the stormwater quality and quantity challenges. SCMs play a critical role in reducing pollution and protecting the nation's waterways, as well as protecting downstream areas from flooding, erosion, and water quality degradation. The effectiveness of a stormwater management program depends largely on how well and safely stormwater controls perform over time. Most SCMs are simple to operate and maintain if there are appropriate maintenance protocols and funding to conduct inspections and maintenance. SCMs are becoming more complex, and special skills and knowledge are required to properly maintain them. The different models of SCM ownership and maintenance responsibilities require a good tracking system and clear inspection and maintenance protocols to ensure that SCMs are properly maintained. The chapter also presents an overview of the key concepts discussed in this book.

The new generations of stormwater control measures (SCMs) have developed in response to extended detention for water quality; surface water impairment because of pollutant loading and regulations are the main drivers for improving maintenance. Incorporating long-term stormwater maintenance in a community's overall master plan can effectively help balance development decisions with environmental protection. This chapter provides an overview of the elements considered essential in developing a robust program for the operations and maintenance of SCMs. The overall SCM maintenance program will include the extent of program coverage; applicable policies; combined inspection, recordkeeping, and reporting responsibilities for applicable permits; differentiation between routine maintenance activities or those driven by inspections; in-house vs. contracted services; and integration with the municipality's or Department of Transportation's overall asset management program. More innovative financing strategies for stormwater projects have been supported as well, which allows for various economic co-benefits and support from private investment.

Designing and constructing stormwater control measures (SCMs) requires the consideration of the primary function of the stormwater control and the maintenance needed to preserve that function. Without maintenance, the function will degrade and ultimately fail. Establishing the functional performance of an SCM starts with the data used during design, performance calculations used in the design, and input data and drainage information. Stormwater control measure design requires an approach that anticipates future changes—whether that be land use changes or rainfall pattern changes—to build stormwater infrastructure that is more resilient for the community. Design, specification, and communication of adequate stormwater control and protection are essential in preserving the primary function of SCMs during construction. The construction specifications provide the opportunity for the designer to include more detail on the material, installation, and maintenance requirements of the control and protection measures.

This chapter provides a review of maintenance for conventional stormwater control measures (SCMs), including green infrastructure. Green infrastructure measures focus on distributed controls that are vegetated or incorporate infiltration. These include bioretention filters and infiltration basins. One of the primary goals of any stormwater infrastructure maintenance is to provide sustained and reliable function over time. Vegetated SCM maintenance should facilitate and amplify beneficial vegetation-soil feedback loops and suppress detrimental feedback loops. Hydraulics and sediment transport regimes may determine the level of maintenance required to achieve a desired performance standard for given green stormwater infrastructure technology. Routine maintenance of cisterns and rain barrels includes periodic removal of accumulated sediment and debris that accumulates within the cistern tank. Landscaped roof routine maintenance addresses many of the functional, aesthetic, and safety needs typical to vegetated SCMs at ground level as well as considerations specific to rooftop environments.

This chapter provides general protocols for inspection and maintenance procedures and practices of stormwater control measures (SCMs). All stormwater systems require proper design, construction, and maintenance to perform successfully. The chapter identifies the different aspects of the SCM that need to be verified against design plans and specifications. SCMs are organized around the following categories: basins, swales and strips, filters, infiltrators, gross pollutant traps, and mechanical operations. The chapter describes the protocols that should be implemented when inspecting and maintaining SCMs once they have been constructed or installed. Maintenance activities are organized around routine maintenance, nonroutine and emergency maintenance, and aesthetic maintenance. The chapter also guides prioritizing corrective actions based on potential failure and consequences. It presents the different types of checklists that may be needed when inspecting and maintaining SCMs. The chapter describes the different types of checklists that may be needed when inspecting and maintaining SCMs.

Communities throughout the United States are facing growing demands in managing stormwater. Municipalities must manage and build systems to provide flood protection and comply with municipal separate storm sewer system permits, and even develop watershed management plans to protect and restore habitat, develop green infrastructure, and supplement water supply through capture and use and/or recharge to groundwater. There is a large variety of stormwater assets that extend across the entire drainage system, including buried conveyance infrastructure, surface conveyance, and stormwater control measures. The US Environmental Protection Agency and Water Environment Research Foundation developed a 10-step integrated planning process that provides a solid framework for municipalities and utilities to manage their assets and optimize their investments. Adaptive management is a proactive approach where communities/agencies use system data to continually update their program. An important element of adaptive management is tracking the performance of stormwater assets over time.

The type of personnel and their skill sets, as well as the equipment requirements to conduct maintenance of stormwater control measures (SCMs), are evolving. The types of personnel and equipment required for the execution of maintenance activities are typically organized into four categories: surface inspection and maintenance, subsurface inspection and maintenance, porous pavement inspection and maintenance, and specialty maintenance. Budgeting for operations and maintenance (O&M) programs is critical for understanding and planning for expected program resources, particularly as programs are developing and expanding. Budgeting includes several additive components that reflect overall program costs. These include program development, staffing, field equipment, office equipment, materials, equipment and facilities maintenance, disposal facilities, and others. Accurately projecting OM program costs is critical to program success. A maintenance capital improvement program can be used by a utility or municipality to prioritize which SCM or system maintenance projects should be funded each year within the planning horizon.

Strategic and informed inspection and maintenance scheduling of stormwater control measures (SCMs) is critical to minimizing cost while maintaining an adequate level of service. This chapter presents an adaptive management process for determining the optimal inspection and maintenance cycle for SCMs, as well as scenarios where unexpected maintenance may necessitate consultation with a design professional for a problematic SCM location. When developing an initial SCM inspection and maintenance schedule, consider local factors, regional experience, and priorities. Then, scheduling tools can be used to develop specific crew and equipment assignments. Some considerations for setting a maintenance schedule include predictability, availability, seasonal workload, seasonal species, logistics, and regional factors. Prioritization only works when maintenance crews are adequately staffed and the asset condition information is available. Adaptive management of an SCM maintenance program offers greater efficiency because optimal maintenance is often determined by regional or even location-specific experience.

This chapter introduces the importance of tracking, recordkeeping, and reporting inspections and maintenance activities to achieve an effective operations and maintenance (OM) program for stormwater control measures (SCMs) and streamline the implementation of the inspection forms. The OM protocols should identify what activities should take place when illicit discharges or dumping occur in the field. The chapter provides the overall communication framework necessary for the implementation of an SCM OM program and the effective use of the inspection forms. Coordination, communication, and awareness are key to the implementation of an effective and efficient OM protocol. The chapter discusses the general considerations when developing the forms needed for the efficient OM of SCMs. It also discusses the importance of rainfall data and the use of technology to display the SCM inventory and for data collection that may streamline the data collection/processing process.

This chapter presents case studies to illustrate different approaches to address operations and maintenance (OM) activities in large and small cities/utilities. It provides an overview of the utility and general information on the stormwater management program in Kansas City, Missouri, the city of Lancaster, and the city of Philadelphia. The chapter discusses the types of stormwater control measures (SCMs) that are being maintained and explains procedures used for private and publicly maintained facilities. It also describes how inspection and maintenance activities are performed and lessons learned. The chapter presents an overview of the responsibilities assigned to different groups to illustrate different organizational arrangements and procedures for recordkeeping. It illustrates various approaches for private and public SCM maintenance. The chapter describes the funding sources used to conduct OM activities, as well as presents a description of the OM program's challenges and plans to overcome them.